According to Michael Lee, Randy Wittman cried after the Wizards' twelfth loss of the season, inspiring Martell Webster to buy in to the system.
Martell Webster said Randy Wittman cried in locker room after #wizards lost 12th game. MW immediately bought in after seeing RW's passion
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) April 18, 2013
Washington finished the year with the NBA's fifth best defense despite the season being more or less a lost cause by January. The effort and discipline necessary to maintain such a high level of play is rare period, even less so among non-contenders.
Webster wasn't the only player to noticeably improve his defensive intensity this year. Trevor Ariza, who appeared to be loafing at the beginning of the year, was a key part of the team's defensive success this year and played wonderfully during the second half of the season. Ditto for Nene, who played hard all year while battling numerous injuries.